A wedding celebration reportedly descended into chaos after several brothers allegedly stormed the reception and att@cked a guest, triggering a vi0lent confrontation between two families with a history of hostility.
The incident occurred over the weekend at the La Centre Banquet Facility in Westlake, Ohio, about 14 miles west of Cleveland.
According to an alleged victim who spoke to police, the gathering was peaceful until four brothers reportedly confronted and att@cked attendees.
“We were dancing, and four brothers jumped on us,” the victim was quoted as saying, according to footage obtained by Fox 8 Cleveland and KHOU.
The situation escalated when one of the men, identified as 46-year-old Raed Mahmoud Sulaiman, allegedly picked up a butter knife from a place setting and began threatening and att@cking people.
Westlake Police Captain Jerry Vogel said officers were already aware that vi0lence had occurred after receiving calls from independent witnesses reporting that several people were injured and covered in bl0od.
As the confrontation intensified, one attendee reportedly grabbed a chair and threw it toward Sulaiman, who was allegedly armed with the knife.
Dozens of frightened guests then rushed out of the banquet hall into the parking lot, where responding police officers encountered at least 40 people in a state of panic.
Authorities said the disturbance involved two families who were known to have longstanding tensions with each other. Vogel suggested that bringing the families together for the wedding may have reignited unresolved hostilities.
Sulaiman was arrested and charged with a$$ault, inducing panic and tampering with evidence. Police alleged that he discarded the butter knife before officers arrived at the scene.
Two other men were also charged over their alleged involvement in the brawl. Authorities described them as individuals who contributed to the disturbance.
Among those arrested was 47-year-old Ali Wahdan, who reportedly faces a charge of vi0lating a court order intended to protect family members attending the wedding.
What was meant to be a joyful wedding celebration therefore ended with a major disturbance, multiple arrests and frightened guests fleeing the venue.